THE REV. NANCY TAYLOR: We are shaken, but we are not forsaken. Another's hate will not make of us haters.

BRADY: Inside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, about 2,000 seats were available. Many more lined up outside - some, before dawn - hoping to get in. Across the city, people tuned in to the service wherever they happened to be at 11 a.m. And just a few blocks from the cathedral, officers broadcast President Obama's speech over their police radio.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Your commonwealth is with you. Your country is with you. We will all be with you as you learn to stand...

BRADY: Robert Gallo is with the nearby Peabody Police Department, which was called in to help Boston during the service.

ROBERT GALLO: He's speaking to everyone that's probably hurting right now. And I think a lot of people need to hear that, especially from the commander in chief.

BRADY: Near the front door of the cathedral, Chauni Haslet and her husband, Bill, were here from Seattle. Their daughter and son-in-law were injured while watching the marathon.

CHAUNI HASLET: She has had to have her leg amputated a few inches below the knee. Our son-in-law is - has had a couple of operations; removing shrapnel from both of his legs, and a broken bone in one foot; and he will need skin grafts in the future. But both of them are alive.

BRADY: Haslet says the city has shown her nothing but kindness. She says a taxi driver refused to let her pay a fare. She's trying to be optimistic about her daughter and son-in-law's future.

HASLET: They're both young. They're both strong. And...

BILL HASLET: Very strong.

HASLET: ...I think they will be known in the future as some very capable survivors who will make the best out of this terrible tragedy.

BRADY: Haslet hugged two firefighters, thanking them for their service.

MICHAEL DOHERTY: I've got a lot of waves and a lot of thank yous and stuff, yeah.

BRADY: Boston Fire Chief Michael Doherty stood in the back of the cathedral, and said this service will help the city heal. Michael Ward, a childhood friend and fellow firefighter, was with him. On Monday, Ward was a spectator, watching the marathon until the second explosion hit.

MICHAEL WARD: I was mass triaging, and I didn't really think about it - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight - I don't know - nine. It was instant, just trying to separate the worst from the people who might stand a chance to survive.

BRADY: Ward appeared to choke up when talking about Martin Richard, the boy who was one of the three fatalities.

WARD: Thought little Martin was going to make it.

BRADY: One way people are healing from this tragedy is talking about their stories, and this event was just one opportunity to do that as this city mourns.